Battlecruiser
The battlecruiser is a type of terran capital ship employed in the Koprulu Sector. Overview Battlecruisers stem as far back as the early days of the Terran Confederacy.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Graven Hill's laptop (in English). 2010. While there are many classes of battlecruisers, all are armed with lasers and protected by neosteel armor.Battlecruiser-StarCraft II. Accessed on 2008-02-12 These laser weapons consist of multiple twin-cannon laser batteries for aerial defense and surface bombardment, located across the battlecruiser's hull. Its air-to-air guns—not as powerful as its air-to-ground ones—are equipped with advanced optics and sensors to deal with fast moving targets. The vessel’s air-to-ground guns make use of electromagnetic coils to increase the potency of their shots. Battlecruisers were employed during the Guild Wars when space engagements were fought by capital ships and medium-sized gunships. The development of anti-capital ship starfighters, such as Wraiths, did not spell the end of battlecruisers. The large warships adapted to carry strike craft which augmented and complemented the combat value of both. Battlecruisers continue to be an integral part of terran space forces as general purpose warshipsRosenberg, Aaron (May 23, 2006). StarCraft: Queen of Blades. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-0-7434-7133-6. and command ships during extended campaigns.Underwood, Peter, Bill Roper, Chris Metzen and Jeffrey Vaughn. StarCraft (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998. Gravity accelerators are also found on all battlecruisers.Neilson, Micky (December 18, 2000). StarCraft: Uprising. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-0743-41898-0 (eBook). Warp drives are also fixed on battlecruisers, allowing it to achieve FTL travel. Besides the standard set of safety features, some battlecruisers have a secondary, short range warp drive to reduce wear and tear on the main one. It also serves as backup in emergency situations, such as the need to effect a blind jump, which is a very risky endeavor, to retreat from a hot zone. The shorter range reduces the likelihood that vessel and crew will end up stranded for years in a remote location. Battlecruisers are not unlike self-contained cities, and house crews ranging in size from 4000 to 7000. Besides the standard facilities required by a warship, battlecruisers boast an assortment of cantinas and rec rooms.2014-12-18, Battlecruiser Science. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2014-12-21 Battlecruisers use force fields for protection, but because they consume vast amounts of energy, these are only used when a battlecruiser is vulnerable, such as leaving warp space or entering an atmosphere. Otherwise the battlecruiser relies on its heavy armor for protection.Blizzard Entertainment. 2012-11-05. StarCraft II Creative Development Q&A - Part 5. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2012-11-05. Battlecruisers are sometimes referred to as "battleships". Known Classes ''Leviathan''-class The Leviathan-class was uncommon at the start of the 26th century, having largely been supplanted by the Behemoth-class. The Leviathan could travel in warp space. Auxiliary craft docked at hydraulic ports. The ports were perilously close to the bridge, making the class vulnerable to enemy boarding actions.Grubb, Jeff (February 27, 2001). StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-0671-04148-9. ''Behemoth''-class ]] The Behemoth-class was the most common type during the Great War, representing a noticeable improvement over the Leviathan. It can travel through warp space, operate within atmospheres and land on planetary surfaces.Mesta, Gabriel (July 1, 2001). StarCraft: Shadow of the Xel'Naga. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-0671-04149-6. The Hyperion, a souped-up Behemoth, can make warp jumps from within planetary atmospheres.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: Escape from Mar Sara. (in English). 2010. Second Great War-era Behemoths had crews of 6000. The class is armed with burst laser batteries; and nuclear warheadsSC1 Battlecruiser. StarCraft Compendium. Accessed on 2008-02-12 Older ships did not have side firing arcs for the laser batteries. The batteries were also vulnerable to interceptors.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Armory upgrades (in English). 2010. The warheads were reserved for orbital bombardment rather than for space combat. The Yamato cannon entered service aboard the Behemoth just before the Great War. Battlecruisers received the Colossus reactor to better meet the cannon's enormous energy requirements. Brood War-era Terran Dominion Behemoth''s required access to physics labs to power up their weapon systems. The loss of these labs could cripple a fleet.Blizzard Entertainment. ''StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Mission: Assault on Korhal (in English). 1998. The Behemoth-class is protected by standard neosteel armor and energy shields, It is less vulnerable to enemy boarding actions.Golden, Christie (May 22, 2007). StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga #1: Firstborn. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-0-7434-7125-1. A hit from a Yamato cannon can cripple a Behemoth. Behemoths are powered by fusion reactors, but these are regarded as outdated when compared to the fusion technology utilized by the Minotaur-class. Efforts are being made to retrofit old vessels. To this day, many battlecruisers belonging to the old ex-Confederate guard still use antiquated reactors—poorly maintained or jury-rigged to yield higher energy outputs—that have a tendency to leak. The Behemoth includes force field-enclosed2007-08-03. StarCraft II Single-Player Campaign BlizzCon Preview. Gamespot. Accessed 2008-02-12. docking bays.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Cinematic: The Ascension (in English). 1998. A strike group can include Wraiths and scoutships. A Behemoth can carry hundreds to thousands of troops and their equipment., deployed by dropships and s carried in the docking bays,Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Armory units (in English). 2010. along with up to two dozen starfighters. Other equipment includes searchlights.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Cinematic: Brood War Intro (in English). 1998.StarCraft: Ghost (Battlecruiser) The Behemoth has proven be an enduring design and continued to serve into the Second Great War. It received periodic upgrades and its hammerhead design inspired succeeding types. ''Hercules''-class The Hercules-class entered service after the . The Hercules can be equipped with plasma torpedoes for saturation ground bombardment. Like the Yamato cannon, the plasma torpedo system also had a large energy requirement. ''Minotaur''-class The Minotaur-class came into service in 2502, used by the Terran Dominion.Randolph, Grace (w), Nan Kim (p, i). "Newsworthy." In StarCraft: Frontline: Volume 2 (paperback binding), pp. 68-121. Tokyopop, January 1, 2009. ISBN 978-1427-80831-8.April 6, 2010. "Timeline". StarCraft II: Heaven's Devils. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). pp. 311 - 323. ISBN 978-1416-55084-6. Minotaur''s can be upgraded with a variety of tactical systems. This includes the Type-V Yamato cannonBlizzard Entertainment. ''StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Maw of the Void (in English). 2010-07-27., energy shieldsBlizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: Heir Apparent. (in English). 2010., anti-aerospace missile pods, and a defensive matrix. By the war against Amon, terran engineers had been able to devise new technology for the ship, allowing it to teleport across great distances.2014-11-07, StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void Warps into BlizzCon 2014. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2014-11-11 These battlecruisers have personnel quarters, a brig, a mess hall and a bridge.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: Dangerous Game. (in English). 2010. Their fusion reactors are cleaner and more efficient than the outdated reactors of the Behemoth-class. This includes the lack of leakage. In 2503,September 27, 2011. "Timeline." StarCraft: Ghost: Spectres. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). pp. 393-416. ISBN 978-1439-10938-0. Dominion Minotaur''s were suddenly withdrawn to be refitted for interatmospheric combat at Korhal IV. The battlecruisers were ordered to abandon their current assignments, disembark passengers and cargo on nearby habitable worlds, and proceed immediately to the Dominion capital.Dayton, Cameron. "Broken Wide." (March 5, 2010). Blizzard Entertainment. Broken Wide Accessed 2010-03-05. ''Gorgon-class The Gorgon- class battlecruiser is the most powerful warship ever fielded by the terrans of the Koprulu sector.2 It is larger than the Behemoth-class, The interior includes a bridge. They are equipped with thousands of optic sensors, and multiple laser batteries.2015-07-15, StarCraft II: Field Manual. YouTube, accessed on 2015-08-01 Gorgon''s can withstand multiple Yamato cannon hits. ''Bucephalus, a Gorgon outfitted as a flagship in 2503, possessed a crew of approximately 8,239. Other Classes , a "super battlecruiser"]] The ''Starcruiser was an advanced battlecruiser prototype sold by Crazy Bob's Bazaar.2001-18-04, Bazaar. StarCraft Compendium. Accessed on 2008-04-04 By 2504, the Dominion prototype Loki was undergoing testing at Valhalla, just as the Minotaur-class did.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Engine of Destruction (in English). 2010-07-27. It was deemed a "super-battlecruiser."Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard) (in English). July 27, 2010 (Play Guide blurbs) The Pride of Augustgrad-class battlecruiser was used in the defense of Augustgrad.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Heart of the Swarm, The Reckoning (in English). 2013-03-12. Game Unit StarCraft : For StarCraft gameplay information see: Battlecruiser (StarCraft). : For StarCraft in-game quotations see: StarCraft Battlecruiser Quotations. StarCraft: Ghost with a battlecruiser overhead]] In StarCraft: Ghost, the battlecruiser acted as a support unit for Nova. Through targeting, the player could call down a Yamato Cannon strike that dealt damage to all objects in an area.GameSpot Accessed: May 22, 2008. StarCraft II : For StarCraft II gameplay information see: Battlecruiser (StarCraft II). : For StarCraft II in-game quotations see: StarCraft II Battlecruiser Quotations. Known Battlecruisers :Main article: List of battlecruisers ''Leviathan''-class *''Merrimack'' (converted prison ship) *''Thunder Child'' ''Behemoth''-class *''Bismarck'' *''Gray Tiger'' *''Hephaestus'' *''Huey Long'' *''Hyperion'' *''Iron Fist'' *''Jackson V'' *''Napoleon'' *''Ragnorak'' *''Theodore G. Bilbo'' ''Norad''-series *''Norad II'' *''Norad III'' ''Minotaur''-class *''Emperor's Fury'' *''Helios'' *''Victory'' ''Gorgon''-class *''Bucephalus'' *''White Star'' Other or unknown classes ]] *Aeneas *''Aleksander'' (UED flagship) *''Amphitrite'' *''Antigone'' *''Eos'' *''Herakles'' *''Hoosier'' *''Hurricane'' *''Iron Justice'' *''Jackson's Revenge'' *''The Kimera'' *''Kimeran Juggernaut'' *''Loki'' (Super-class) *''Meleager'' *''Metis'' *''Palatine'' *''Patroclus'' *''Scion'' *''Tahoe'' Known Battlecruiser Commanders *Admiral Gerard DuGalle *General Edmund Duke *General Arcturus Mengsk *General Horace Warfield *Colonel Alexander Davidoff *Commodore Georg Darabont *Captain Bolshev *Captain Buzan *Captain Robert Mason *Captain Matt Horner *Captain Roger Merriman *Captain Jim Raynor *Captain Rourke *Captain Elias Tudbury *Captain Everett Vaughn *Colonel Jackson Hauler *Commander Hale *Commander Haley *Major Tom Hawkins *Major Spaulding *El Kang the Quixotic Notes ]] *Most battlecruiser classes share their designations from various mythologies—the Leviathan and Behemoth are of the Bible, while Hercules, the Minotaur and the Gorgon stem from Greek mythology. *"Super-battlecruisers" are designated as such, without the "class" designation. This may be indicative of an different type of ship altogether. However, it has been listed on this page to avoid a stub article. *Mega Bloks plans to make 3,000 battlecruiser models as part of its ''StarCraft toyline. A poll has been opened as to which model(s) fans would like to see them represent.2011-11-09, StarCraft II Limited Edition Mega Bloks Battlecruiser Video. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2011-11-19 Sizes Different sizes for battlecruisers have been given from differing sources. *A Behemoth-class battlecruiser was stated as being two "leagues" long in StarCraft: Uprising. Most league measurements would have put the battlecruiser as over 9 km (5.6 miles) in length. *The Bucephalus, a Gorgon model, has been stated to be 560 meters long and 82.4 meters wide. This puts the two figures as odds, as the Bucephalus has been stated to be larger than the Hyperion (a Behemoth-class), and that the White Star (another Gorgon) has been stated to be "the largest vessel ever constructed by humanity." *Compounding this further is that while the sizes figures for the Bucephalus have remained constant, its depiction has altered. In Wings of Liberty, a holographic display depicts it as being a Minotaur-class, while it was depicted as a Gorgon-class in Flashpoint. In Heart of the Swarm, Gorgons appear to super battlecruisers, albeit much larger. References Category:Terran starship classes Category:StarCraft: Ghost Terran units